Unexpected Discoveries Lead to Unexpected Consequences
Chapter 2
Previous
This was not nor had it ever been part of any of his plans. Nope, he had never meant for this to happen at. All. Yet! Here he was. He can’t even believe himself.
“Talia, I have known this girl for two weeks, but I swear to G* that if anything happens to her while I am gone with my next trainer I will kill everyone in the stupid base and then myself.”
Jason immediately stated upon returning from France with Marinette in toe next to him. She gave Talia a shy smile and wave before moving back to hide behind Jason once again.
After their little heart to heart in the apartment upon their first meeting Jason knew he couldn’t leave this small, innocent child behind to survive on her own. He had let her sleep in the bed, as it was a single room apartment, and he slept on the couch. That same night he was woken by bloodcurdling, heart-clenching screams. The bond was being pulled incessantly in sharp, painful jolts, and it was filled with so much pain and anguish that it almost made him buckle over in pain. He raced over to the bedroom and found Mary (“My real name is Marinette”) struggling against the blankets, still obviously asleep. Racing over to the bed he tried his very best to wake her up gently, whispering that she needed to awaken. Unfortunately, it didn't work and Jason swore that his heart was going to be torn out of his chest. Running out of both strength and patience he began to shake her by the shoulders.
“Mary, you’re having a nightmare and you need to wake up!”
Nearly silent sobs left her lips. Jason's heart yearned to comfort this child as the tugs against his heart continued in their frantic manner as if the bond itself was begging for someone to soothe the pain. Now Jason knew this would be a terrible idea if this was to wake up to this, but well, it worked on his mom when she was too far gone trying to chase a high. And while this wasn’t the same thing, maybe it would still work.
Kneeling at the bedside Jason began to softly run his fingers through Mari’s now clean hair, easily removing any knots out of her still slightly damp hair. He did his best to send soothing tugs and ripples through the bond in hopes that it would calm her. Thankfully the movement seemed to do the trick as Mari began to relax into the covers and had soon stopped crying. He could feel her unconsciously leaning into his hand, and he refused to take away the obvious comfort she found in the contact. He stared at the girl’s gentle features, truly taking in her form. She was frail and thin, there were dark and heavy bags under her eyes, and her skin, while slightly tan from being in the sun for long amounts of time, was unnaturally pale. How was he supposed to leave her when Talia came to pick him up? The kid needed stability, someone to look after her, and he did not trust any foster care system in any way shape or form. Jason sighed to himself and desperately wanted to hit his head against a wall. Why was this his life?
So here he was now, at Nanda Parbat, with a small 13-year-old child standing behind him, threatening Talia al Ghul of all people to protect his new baby sister while he was gone. Because G* knew that if something happened to this angel of a child on his watch, all Hell would break loose.
“I see you’ve picked up a stray.”
She said flatly after his outburst, only giving Mari a small glance before staring at Jason once again. Her face was void of any emotion, but he could see the ever so slight glint of curiosity hidden behind the indifference in her eyes.
“Look,”
Jason sighed, pinching his nose between his gloved fingers.
“Trust me when I say that I had no planes on doing this.”
“But?”
Talia asked when he didn’t continue with a raised brow.
“But, the kid's been through some sh* and is honestly like a lost duckling. (“I am not.”) She wouldn’t stop following me around even when I told her that I’m bad news. (*huff*). And if this continued she was going to get herself killed, or worse.”
Jason shivered. He remembered how quickly and mysteriously kids would disappear. And IF they were ever found, well, they were never the same again. Always haunted, always on edge, always silent, eyes clouded over like they had seen the depths of Hell and were forced to come back to Earth. He would never be able to live with himself if he saw that same look on this kid in front of him.
Talia seemed to understand where he was coming from and simply nodded. Her expression gave none of her thoughts or feelings away though.
“I see. Well, I have arranged for you to go to Germany to learn how to put together and dismantle explosives. If this goes well Jason, this should be your last trainer. I will take your youth under my wing until you return. She will be protected and trained, so when it is time for you to complete your goal you will know she will be taken care of and will know how to properly take care of herself.”
Jason could hug her, but he refrained. He didn’t want to get stabbed, thank you very much. He smiled and nodded his head in thanks.
“Thank you Talia, I owe you one.”
“One of many.”
Talia said, a ghost of a smile somehow showing through her still emotionless face.
“Yea, yea.”
He replied flippantly before turning back to Marinette who had been basically strangling his shirt between her small boney hands. Gently he pulled her in front of him and kneeled so they were level with each other while sending warm calming ripples through their bond. He placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder and began to explain what was going to happen.
“Pix, please look at me.”
Marinette looked up from the ground and looked him in the eyes while she nervously chewed at her lip.
“You’re going to leave me?”
She asked sorrowfully. He could feel the tension and despair in the bond making Jason feel guilty. Jason softened slightly and shook his head, continuing to send his reassurance and care back.
“Yes, and no. I’ll be back soon, and Talia is going to keep you safe. I’ve got to go to this place to learn some stuff, and when I’m done I won’t leave ya again, I promise.”
“And I can’t come with you?”
She asked sorrowfully. Jason shook his head quickly,
“No Pixie. It’s way too dangerous for you. But Talia here is going to help you learn how to protect yourself here. It’ll be okay.”
“And you promise that you’ll come back?”
She asked, almost begged really. She was sending out so much hope and worry that his heart was starting to ache. He didn’t think he would ever get used to this strange bond, way of communicating really.
“I promise.”
Marinette nodded, her eyes hardening with conviction and complete trust that Jason knew he would rather die again than break.
“Okay. I’ll work hard till you come back, big brother Jay-Jay.”
Jason smiled and rolled his eyes before ruffling her hair.
“Yea, yea. How about you get to know Talia,”
He leaned into her ear and whispered just loud enough so that Talia would hear him.
“She may seem all scary and heartless, but she has a heart deep deep down. I promise.”
Marinette giggled softly and Talia rolled her eyes. Jason smirked at her before pushing himself up and standing next to Mari with a hand on her shoulder. He nodded to Talia and gave Marinette one last squeeze before he turned and left towards his room where his bag should be. He would have to leave soon, he had no doubt that there was a plane or helicopter waiting for him at this very moment. Besides, it would be good for Marinette to learn from Talia; and if she introduced the small girl to Damian so the kid would have a friend, it would be 10x better.
__________
When Jason returned to Nanda Parabat four months later he was definitely surprised at what he was witnessing. He had been searching for the small girl when he had heard fighting coming from one of the training rooms. While it made sense, he had still wanted to see what was happening and hadn’t been expecting what he was witnessing. He watched the battle unfold recognizing the two in an instant. Marinette was dressed in the traditional black League training robes with a light green bandana tied around her arm to signify that she was under the protection of Talia. He watched as Marinette, armed with two 12” daggers, fought against Talia confidently standing her ground far better than he would have thought possible. Talia obviously wasn’t going easy on her, but Marinette seemed to be dancing around her, her eyes narrowed with full concentration. Talia had definitely taken the training request very seriously, and so had Mari. She was starting to grow into a more lean and gymnast-like body, like Di-Nightwing’s. She held herself with much more confidence than she had before he had left and moved with grace that she definitely didn’t have before. He had seen the girl trip over literally nothing.
She had definitely grown a lot while he was gone, she was maybe two or three inches taller than the last time he had seen her. He didn’t see any signs of serious injury in the way she moved, so the League was safe for now…unfortunately.
He continued to watch the two fight and studied the different forms that Marinette used. She was using more offensive than defensive attacks, and it was obvious she was trying to redirect Talia’s strikes back to her. She was resourceful with how she used her daggers, none of her strikes were lethal(thank goodness), but sadly it wasn’t enough. Her stamina still wasn’t what it could be due to who knows how long of malnourishment, and it was obvious she was tiring out. And that was all Talia needed to finish the fight as she rounded one last kick that Marinette just couldn’t dodge in time causing her to fall flat on her back. Talia held her katana to her neck, and Jason sent a jolt of panic course through him. There may have been a decent amount of space from the blade and Mari’s throat as it was spar, but it still made his skin crawl to see that happen.
“You lasted longer this time. Good job, Marinette.”
Talia said calmly as she moved the sword back into the sheath at her side and held out a hand for Mari to take. With a bright smile Marinette accepted the gesture and quickly got back on her feet.
“Thank you Talia, I couldn’t have done it without your help.”
“I don’t know Pixie Pop, I think you could have done it at some point even without her.”
Jason called out casually from where he was leaning against the doorway. Marinette’s head snapped over to Jason in surprise, unlike Talia who had probably sensed his entry even during the fight.
“Big brother!”
Marinette practically screamed as she ran towards him. Jason was able to catch her right before she slammed into him, picking her up by the armpits and spinning her once before he set her down again. Her arms wrapped tightly around him; Jason was quick to reciprocate the gesture with a roll of his eyes.
“Jeesh kid, we’ve literally known each other for like three weeks. You get attached to people way too easily.”
He said in a joking yet serious voice. It was sweet if not slightly concerning.
“Not true, I’ve felt your emotions for the last five months. I know you better than you think.”
She mumbled into his chest. Jason sighed once more before just picking her up and holding her against his side. Even if she had grown a few inches, she was still small.
“So, nothing happened while I was gone?”
He asked Talia with a raised brow.
“No. She wore my colors, the others knew not to touch her without my express permission. She is a quick learner and a sharp student. I’m glad you found her, she could be an excellent asset.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but she’s not staying here. Thank you for training and protecting her Talia. We’ll be heading to Gotham soon.”
“Well then, I wish you luck with your goal Jason.”
Talia said calmly, resting her hands behind her back.
“And I’m thankful for all the training you’ve given me and her, Talia. I’m ready to take on the big Bat himself now.”
Talia gave a sharp nod and turned away. Jason finally set Marinette back down so she was standing in front of him and sighed,
“Come on Pix, I know you’re dying to tell me everything. You can chatter my ear off while we pack your things.”
And just like that Mari began telling him all that she had learned and all that she had experienced with the League. He was glad it wasn’t too terrible, and that she had really worked hard with her training and studies. Her eyes sparkled a bright happy blue and she practically danced around the room collecting the few things she had so that they could begin the flight to Gotham. Turns out that had met Damian, he even sparred with her. She didn’t win, little demon brat had said some rude things, but helped her with her form. His heart felt warm from all of the joy she was sending through the bond and it was infectious. He missed his little pixie.
When they arrived on the plane Marinette settled into the seat next to him and leaned against his side.
“Jay?”
She asked quietly.
“Yea Pix?”
There was a small pause but Jason just waited patiently for Marinette to continue.
“I’m ready to tell you what happened.”
Jason paused for a second. From what he had heard of her nightmares, and felt, something terrible must have happened for her to be on the streets.
“You sure? I don’t want you to rush into things.”
She nodded silently, with a firm and sure look on her face.
“I’m ready.”
She took in a deep breath and slowly blew it out, trying to calm her buzzing nerves. He tried to reach out through the bond, to understand what may be going through her mind, but he couldn’t feel anything. It was like there was a wall between the two of them, and that scared Jason more than he would ever admit.
“Mama and Papa ran into some financial trouble with their bakery. A liar, I’m pretty sure she was a meta, lied about it and said that it was infested with rodents and bugs. She said that she had seen a rat running through the kitchen, even though there was no way she could have been back there, and that she had found a fly baked into her peach tart! Of course everyone believed her, even though she had no definitive proof everyone. Still. Believed. Her! One of my old friends ran a popular blog with their mom, and she posted Lila’s lies on it a lot. Soon after, other news sponsors reported on this supposed incident as well. And soon after, few people ever came in again. Mama and Papa were so worried, I once walked in on them crying together and I didn’t know what to do, so I left.”
Her voice had taken on an almost airy lilt. Her eyes were glazed over as she talked, her breath hitching ever so often. But no tears fell, and no sobs came. Jason didn’t interrupt.
“Papa got a loan from the Akuma Gang because the banks refused to give one to my parents. In the end they were unable to pay back the money, and they burned down my home with everybody in it. I was at a small party with who I thought was my last friend, but it was a set up. When it happened, I-I was on my way home and they tried to-to…”
The dam broke and tears flowed down Marinette’s cheeks, sobs shaking her body. Jason pulled her closer to his side, whispering words of comfort into her ear, telling her that she didn’t have to finish if she wasn’t ready, while gently rubbing her back. Once she got her sobs under control she continued.
“They tried to kidnap and take advantage of me.”
The green began to overwhelm his vision as it screamed for blood and vengeance for the girl he considered his little sister. He hadn’t felt this Pit crazed, this angry in so long, it was almost frightening. But he was too angry to be frightened.
“I was able to escape them, but I had nowhere to go. I didn’t trust CPS because the Akuma’s could pay them off to have me basically delivered to them. I had no friends since the liar took them all away. I couldn’t go to school because the son of one of the members goes there and he definitely would have taken me. He does whatever his father wants, no matter what. I had to live on the streets and try to stay out of sight while still trying to survive.”
Another round of sobs left her mouth as she burrowed farther into Jason’s chest. She was shaking like a leaf and all Jason could do was listen to and hold her. He wanted to fly right back to Paris and burn it to the ground. Tear every person that even thought about hurting her limb from limb. Paint the streets in the blood of the revolting, abominable filth that dared to ever hurt this child. Our child the Pit hisses possessively as it continued to wrap around his brain and take control of his thoughts. He let out a small breath doing his best to clear it so he wouldn’t accidentally hurt Marinette.
“It’s going to be okay, Pixie. I promise, I won’t let that happen to you ever again. I’ll keep you safe, I won’t leave you alone to suffer ever again. I promise.”
Jason carefully pulled her atop his lap, slowly rocking her side to side gently as her cries petered out to sobs, to hiccups, and then silence as she fell asleep against his chest. He gently placed a kiss to the top of her forehead and sighed. Kid didn’t deserve any of that. He renewed his vow, the vow he had made only a few months ago. He would protect her, and he would make sure that she would never go through anything like this ever again. He’ll never let her feel powerless, afraid, or alone again. That’s what a big brother is for after all, right?
-END-
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